Light 'Em Up, They're on Fire
by emmaouttathebox
Summary: Sam and Dean are hunting a creature who burns its victims alive, but things get interesting when a man claiming to be a demi-god arrives on the same hunt.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, get a load of this," Sam said, turning the laptop towards Dean. Dean nodded, mouth full of eggs, then put down his fork and pulled the laptop towards him.

"There've been several deaths in the area recently," Sam explained as Dean scrolled through the report, "But they're weird."

"I thought we were going to take a break from all this hunting, take a few days off and give skiing or something a whirl," Dean complained. They deserved that much, right? After stopping the apocalypse and everything, Dean felt he and Sam were due for a long, much needed vacation. He glanced at his eggs, getting cold, no doubt, then back to the police report. Boring...boring...wait, what?

He stopped scrolling, backing up slightly to reveal a picture of a figure, totally blackened, laying in a burnt circle of grass. "That corpse been totally roasted?"

"Inside and out," Sam replied, "But that's not even the strange part."

"Really?" Dean asked, "I don't know all of what you were doing that year I was with Lisa, but I'm pretty sure when a bunch of people get toasted like marshmallows it registers as a bit weird."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm talking about the grass around them."

"Don't tell me you're worried about the environment."

"No," Sam scowled, "the thing is, the vics have all been tagged in a forest area in Colorado."

"So you've just got a thing against Colorado."

"The whole area is covered in snow. So how did the vics end up in the center of a six foot circle of grass?"

"The snow was melted?" Dean's curiosity had been piqued, "What sort of thing does that?"

"I dunno," Sam replied, pulling Dean's plate of eggs over and digging in, "but-"

"We should probably check it out," Dean interjected, resigned. The winter vacation would have to wait.

Unbeknownst to the Winchesters, a similar conversation was occurring at another breakfast table worlds away...

"Thor, I am sorry to interrupt, but...something's come up."


	2. Chapter 2

Thor was glancing mournfully at the large breakfast he'd hastily abandoned when Sif had interrupted him with the news. It wasn't that he didn't _care_ about what was happening, but Thor was tired. It hadn't been long since the battle at New York and, upon returning home, he was swept up in a tide of governmental issues, such as dealing with the imprisonment of his brother, Loki. It had been a mess and Thor, still recovering from physical wear and tear of the battle, had been aching for a rest. Literally.

Still, he couldn't leave a close friend high and dry. "What is it that troubles you, Sif?" he asked, kindly.

She looked him straight in the eye."There's been word of trouble brewing back on Earth." Sif, always the one to cut to the chase.

Thor groaned. "What is it now? I thought we had vanquished the Chitauri foe."

Sif licked her lips, weighing the news. "It's worse. Muspeli."

"The Fire Jotnar?" Thor roared, "How?"

"We're not sure," Sif said, folding her arms, "but the point is-"

"Earth is not safe," Thor finished. Of course, if it was up to him, he would return to Earth often to destroy possible threats. However, despite his fears, he knew the people of Earth were strong, strong enough to handle most dangers. But the Muspeli were different.

There was a clatter. Mjölnir shot out from under a pot of oats and into Thor's hands. He turned on his heel, cape swishing, and headed out of the room without speaking. "Where are you going?" called Sif, jogging to catch up.

"I must return to Earth immediately," Thor replied, "I am only stopping to retrieve my armor."

"Thor!" Sif, breathing a little harder than usual, placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should not go alone."

"And you must not come with me," Thor touched her hand, eyes softening. "The Muspeli are a threat I fear even I cannot best, though I must try."

"I was not going to suggest myself, or any of our friends," snapped Sif. She looked down, almost ashamed of what she was about to suggest, then looked Thor in the eyes. "You know of whom I speak."

"No."

"It may be dangerous, but who better to take on a Fire Jontar than..."

"I know what you are suggesting and I do not believe it to be the best course of action," Thor said, brushing her hand aside and continuing down the hallway. Sif did not follow.

"Any other planet, maybe," Sif shouted, arms crossed defiantly, "But tell me, Thor, are you willing to risk failure on Earth?"

His steps slowed and his heart race increased. No. He couldn't risk Earth. Not with Jane. With this resolve, Thor resumed his pace, increasing to a jog after he turned the corner.

He approached the prison with trepidation. The prisoner was tucked into a corner, back to him. "Brother..." Thor said

"You need my help," Loki finished, sidling up to the front of the cage as the form in the back winked out of existence.


	3. Chapter 3

"Is a suit really necessary in the snow?" Dean muttered, rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm them up. He and Sam were hiking towards the most recent crime scene; the death of two snowshoers. The snow was past his shoes and only rising in heights as they left the remote outskirts of what could be defined as civilization. Luckily, the trail was peppered with the footprints of the local forces who had come to investigate.

The scene itself could be seen from pretty far away. Opposing the winter wonderland were two dark circles, barely intersected, of unmelted snow. The circles were symmetrical and, aside from the pedestrian traffic from the local authorities, no footprints leading in or out of the circles. There were no bodies, though there were tracks in the snow not unlike a sled of some kind.

"What are you doing here?" asked a blond woman in a thick winter coat, glancing up and down at their suits with disdain. They were out of their element and it was obvious.

"FBI," Sam said, withdrawing the badge from his pocket and flashing it at her. "This isn't the first death like this, is it?"

"No," the woman conceded, "But we've already loaded the bodies. They're on their way to the morgue right now."

"That's ok," Dean shrugged. "We need to check out the scene anyway."

The woman nodded. "Well, you'll know where to find them then," she said as she headed past the Winchesters and towards the road, "Good luck," she muttered, leaving the scene empty.

"What could do something like this?" Dean asked, stepping into a circle and crouching on the burnt grass, picking up a few ashen strands to observe closely.

"I dunno, man, witches?" Sam hypothesized, walking forwards and back trying in vain to make some sort of sense of the circles. "They could have roasted the hex bag if it was on the vic, covered their own tracks."

"I hate witches," Dean muttered, raising from his crouch. As he did, he spotted two figures in the woods. Both large, one in what almost looked like...a cape? "Dude," he whispered, backing out of the circle and towards Sam, "I think they might still be here." He motioned his heads at the forest.

"I don't see anything," Sam said, squinting. Sure enough, there was nothing there. Sam glanced at Dean. "Give chase?" Dean nodded, and the two of them started to race across the empty field.

Neither one was accustomed to running in the snow, not only was it cold and wet, but it greatly hindered their speed, leaving them gasping for air by the time they reached the forest. There was nobody, but there was... "Footprints," Sam said, pointing.

"Those are massive!" Dean exclaimed. He groaned. Of course, not only was it witches, it was huge, speedy witches. Because normal ones weren't already enough of a handful. As he scanned the area, he caught a flash of red leaving the forest, headed towards the burned circles. Who on Earth would be stupid enough to return to the scene of the crime? "Back!" he shouted, turning to exit the forest.

Leaving the protection of the trees, Dean saw the figures clearly for the first time. Two men, looking to be close in height to the Winchesters, stood near the circles. One was muscular, clothed in what looked like a cape and armor. His blond hair hung down past his shoulders. The other was in similarly ridiculous garb, with hair that would also put Sammy's to shame. If the woman thought the Winchesters were out of place...

Carefully, Dean drew his gun. Sam followed suit. "Oi!" Dean shouted as they approached, "Who do you think you are?"

The blond man turned, regarding them with an air of vague curiosity not unlike Castiel. "I am Thor," his voice rumbled powerfully across the field, "Ruler of the realm of Asgard and protector of the planet Earth. Who are you, mortal?"


	4. Chapter 4

****Sorry, I accidentally posted the wrong chapter before****

Dean raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sam. "Why do we always get the crazies?" he muttered.

Sam took his cue. When it came to tact, Dean wasn't exactly the best person to ask. Slowly, he tucked the gun back into his pocket, looking to Dean to make sure he did the same. When both guns were away, Sam started. "We're FBI, investigating this case. What are you doing here?"

"I do not understand. Both of you are named FBI?" Thor squinted, mildly puzzled. Yet another custom of Earth he did not understand.

Sam blinked, surprised. Was this guy for real? "No, I'm Sam. This is my brother, Dean. We _work_ for the FBI." What had possessed him to say their real names? He didn't even know who these guys were. They could be witches, they could be crazy, they could be just about anything.

"Ah. Good." Thor nodded understandingly, though he still didn't quite understand what the FBI was, "Perhaps you could be of assistance. My brother Loki and I are searching for creatures of unimaginable power."

At this point, Dean's patience had been shot. Those guys were seven layers of nuts as far as he was concerned. "Look," he said, getting up close, "Why don't you take your little game elsewhere?" he gestured towards the parking lot, "Leave the real work to the grownups."

"Do we look to be in a gaming mood?" hissed Loki, matching Dean's show of power. "We're more powerful than you can possibly comprehend."

Dean pulled his gun, pointing it at Loki.

Loki chuckled. "It will take a lot more than that, _boy,_" he sneered. Then, outstretching his arms as though going to take flight, his whole form blinked. And then there was two of him. He blinked again, then again, then again, until there was six of him, all grinning wickedly, closing in on Dean.

Dean fired at one of the Lokis. The form shimmered for a second, then settled back into reality.

By then, Sam had drawn his gun as well, pointing it at Thor. "What are you doing?" he roared, glancing at Dean and then reasserting his aim at Thor's head.

"Brother, cease thy trickery!" Thor shouted. All six of the Lokis turned, then shrugged, then began to disappear, until only one Loki remained.

"Very well," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"What are you?" Dean cried, breathing a sigh of relief, but not dropping his weapon.

"We. Are. Gods." Loki said, glaring, "And you would do well to not threaten us."

Sam maintained eye contact with Thor, searching for a glimmer of truth. It seemed to Sam that Thor seemed to be the more trustworthy one in their partnership. "It is true," he affirmed, "We hail from the far away realm of Asgard." Sam nodded, putting away his gun for the second time.

"I don't believe you," Dean snapped. Unlike Sam, he kept his weapon drawn.

"Did you not just see a display of incredible power?" Loki taunted, "What more do you need?"

"We see all sorts of weird every day." Dean replied, stubbornly. "Doesn't mean you're a god, just means you're on our list of monsters we've got to kill."

"What would help you understand?" asked Thor, turning to Dean. He did not want this turning to bloodshed, if he could help it.

Dean looked down for a moment, weighing his options. At last, he made eye contact with Thor. "I've got a friend. A powerful friend. And I believe he would be able to know what you are."

"Shall we go see him, then?"

"He'll come to us," Dean replied. He turned, walking away from the group and towards the forest. "I just gotta call him."

He hated leaving Sam alone with them, but Dean felt self conscious about prayer, especially when it was in front of a bunch of strangers. Upon entering the woods, Dean pressed his hands together in what he thought might be a holy position. "Uh, Castiel who I think is in Heaven right now, you, uh, mind popping down here for a second? We've got a problem. It's quite possibly a god-sized problem and I'm not sure we can handle taking them down on our own."

There was a sound nearby like flapping wings and as Dean turned, he found himself face to face with Castiel, "Hello, Dean."

Dean breathed a sigh of relief. They weren't facing the threat alone. "Thanks, man," he said, heading back out of the forest.

"Now remember," Dean whispered as they walked back towards Sam and the so called gods, "Talk first, stab later."


	5. Chapter 5

"How did he appear in the woods?" Thor demanded to Sam as they spotted the Dean and Cas walking back towards them, "What kind of technology does he possess?"

"None," Sam replied, looking confused. "At least, we think that's how it works."

"What realm does he hail from?" Thor asked, curiously.

Sam glanced at Loki, silently asking _Is he always this strange?_ Loki shrugged.

"Heaven."

"There is no such realm!"

Sam shrugged. "What kind of god are you, then?"

Loki glowered. "We're more powerful than you can possibly comprehend!"

Sam, who incidentally, had several inches on both Thor and Loki, was unfazed.

"You'd be surprised," Dean interrupted as he joined them in the burned circle of grass. "This is Cas."

Cas squinted at Thor, then at Loki.

"Seems a bit, slow, doesn't he?" Loki smirked.

"It's strange," Cas muttered, ignoring Loki's slight, "They're not from Earth...but they're not from Heaven either."

"And how would you know what Heaven is?" Loki demanded, "It was only a few millennia ago your kind thought our home was heaven."

"I know," Cas said, getting up into Loki's face, though several inches shorter, "Because I'm _from_ Heaven."

Loki burst into laughter. "He can't be serious!"

Dean stepped protectively in front of Cas. "Enough from you! Who are you, and why are you here?"

"I don't need to respond to prattling mortals," Loki scoffed.

"We are here tracking a fearsome creature from another realm." Thor added, putting a hand on Loki's shoulder. "We believe that Earth is in peril."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "So you know what kind of monster we're hunting?"

"You cannot imagine the sheer power this creature wields!" Thor exclaimed, waving his arms about in an attempt to illustrate size.

"You'd be surprised what we can handle," Dean replied dryly, "Besides, how can we trust you? You could be what we're hunting."

Thor's eyes widened. "I do not know what you have hunted in the past, but in a fight against us you will lose."

Dean reached for his gun again, but Cas gripped his arm.

"Luckily for you," Thor continued, "We do not want to fight you. It is hard to explain, but my brother and I come from another realm."

"No offense," Sam said, stepping between Dean and Thor, "But we're going to need a bit more proof than that."

Thor nodded, pondering. "I have friends here on Earth. A woman named Jane Foster is one of them. Contact her."

Sam turned to Dean. "I don't think we've got another option right now. We can go back to the motel and research. And we can use Cas to find Jane, he could question her."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Cas. Question a woman. Yeah, that'll go over well."

"Hey!" Cas exclaimed indignantly. Loki snickered.

"Fine. You and Cas go find Jane. I'll handle them," Sam said, motioning towards the strange pair.

Cas nodded. Pressing two fingers to Dean's head, the two vanished.

"So, what now?" Loki asked, unfazed by the disappearance.

"Perhaps we find the nearest town and get some coffee," Thor said, "It is a human beverage I rather enjoy."

Sam shrugged. "Nothing better to do. Are you going to zap there or will you two need a ride?" Glancing at the two blank stares, Sam sighed. "Right. If you damage the car in any way, I promise Dean will kill you." With that, he turned and stepped back into the snow, motioning for them to follow. What a strange turn of events the day had taken.


	6. Chapter 6

As Sam sat at a booth in a dingy cafe, staring at the oddly dressed strangers across from him and mulling over the absurdity of his life, Dean and Cas were zapped halfway across the world into a science lab.

The first thing Dean was aware of was the rush of warm air. The next, screams. Many shrill, high pitched screams. Blinking, he tried to take in the room. It was large, brightly light, and full of tables covered in a multitude of various machines, many of which were blinking. Around one table stood three people, two women and a gangly guy.

"Hello," Cas said, completely unfazed. The guy tumbled from his chair in shock.

"Who are you?" one of the girls shouted, her dark curls bouncing as she stood from the table indignantly. "You scared my intern!"

The other girl stood, too. She calmly glanced at Dean and Cas, her eyes probing them curiously as she moved to approach them. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail that swished softly as she walked. "Did Thor send you?" she asked. "I already told him that if he wants a date, he's going to have to ask me in person."

"At least this time he got the guys to dress in normal clothes!" the other girl quipped, bending to help the unpaid intern up. "That one," she gestured at Cas, "Even looks cute."

"Hey!" the intern said indignantly.

Cas squinted, looking at Dean with a confused look on his face. Dean rolled his eyes and approached the girl in the ponytail, clearly the most sensible in the room. That said, they were all taking the sudden appearance of two men into their lab very well. "You know Thor?" he asked.

"Know him? They're totally dating!" the other girl shouted from the back of the room. Her friend blushed and shook her head.

"We _might_ if he would actually..." she muttered. She looked up at Dean and stopped. "Yeah, I know Thor. Are you from Asgard or something?"

"Dean is from Earth and I hail from Heaven," Cas replied, stepping protectively in front of Dean, "And we're looking for answers about whatever the creature you call Thor is."

"Woah, slow down there tiger," Dean said, putting a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "I'm Dean, this is my friend Cas," he extended his free hand towards the woman, who didn't seem entirely inclined to take it. He grinned, "I figure whatever weirdness this is, we might as well know each others' names first."

The woman glanced back at her colleagues, then shrugged, stepping forwards to shake Dean's hand. "I'm Jane. This is my intern, Darcy, and her intern Ian. How do you know Thor?"

"Met him working a case," Dean replied.

"A case...hold on, do you work for SHIELD?" Darcy asked, angrily.

"Do I what?" Dean was quickly losing track of the conversation. Too many unknown variables. What on Earth had they stumbled onto? "We, uh, work for the FBI." Shabby defense, he knew.

"Right, because the FBI has teleportation devices," Darcy said scathingly, "Or...whatever it is you call them."

"We do not have any devices, I am an angel of the Lord," Cas replied indignantly.

"Wait, what?"

"Alright, all of you, _shut up!_" Jane shouted, clapping her hands together for good measure. "As far as I can tell, none of us know what's going on. So we are going to sit down," she gestured to a table that was the closest the lab got to clean, "And have a nice talk. And then," she looked at Dean, "You are going to take me-"

"-us," Darcy interrupted.

Jane sighed. "You're going to take _us_ to see Thor."

"Why should I do that?" Dean asked, folding his arms and cocking an eyebrow.

"Because if you have any chance of understanding _my boyfriend_, it's with me."


End file.
